Sources: Sveum to learn fate Monday

The uncertain future of Cubs manager Dale Sveum soon will be resolved.

The Cubs will announce Monday whether Sveum will return for the final year of his contract, team president Theo Epstein told the team's beat writers on Friday.

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The team's season ends Sunday in St. Louis, and the Cubs have summoned Sveum and his entire coaching staff back to Chicago for meetings on Monday, sources said. Once the Cubs decide on Sveum, the coaches, too, will learn their fate.

The dismissal of Sveum would put the Cubs in position to pursue the New York Yankees' Joe Girardi, whose contract expires at the end of the season, or another high-profile manager.

While it is common for teams to conduct exit interviews with their staffs, those meetings often take place before the end of the season.

The timing of the Cubs' meetings does not appear to bode well for Sveum, but club officials continue to discuss his situation and have yet to reach a decision, sources said.

The rebuilding Cubs went 61-101 under Sveum last season, and entered Friday night with a 66-93 record this season.

Club officials have acknowledged that they will not judge Sveum on his win-loss record, but are concerned by the regressions of several of the team's young players, sources said.